The present invention generally relates to the use of electronic devices mounted in ceilings and walls for wireless communication. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus that mounts in a ceiling or wall and secures an electronic device within the ceiling or against a wall.
Commonly, the wireless equipment such as an access point or telemetry gateway is mounted on a desk top, attached to a wall, suspended from an acoustical tile ceiling gridwork, or placed above the acoustical tile ceiling. These methods of mounting do not physically secure the equipment, and do not provide for ease of installation and maintenance. Since the wireless equipment commonly has an antenna, the equipment must be mounted in such a way that the equipment and antenna is exposed to the room, so that the radio frequency may propagate into the room to be covered by the equipment. Such wireless equipment has become very popular for computer networking in schools, factories, public buildings and office buildings. A main part of a wireless system for a computer network is an access point. The access point is the unit which communicates directly with wireless devices carried by users. Access points are usually mounted in the ceilings of buildings to avoid the ugly look of the wires required to be hooked to the access point. The access point is an expensive piece of equipment which can be easily stolen from the ceiling of a building. Access points can be a variety of shapes and sizes, which depends on the manufacturer of the access point. The different shapes and sizes present a problem to finding a way to universally secure an access point in the ceiling or to a wall.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that provides for secure mounting of an access point in a ceiling or to a wall, as well as other devices which could be mounted in a ceiling or to a wall.